Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Cheesy Potatoes

Let me introduce you to my standard, go-to, breakfast casserole. This one is SO easy and so yummy! Every time I serve it, people talk about it and ask about it. I took it to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) this morning, and once again I received many compliments! I think that if I didn't bring it, people would be upset. The last time I was supposed to bring a dish to share at MOPS, I asked my Facebook friends if I should bring the cheesy potatoes or cinnamon rolls. They demanded the potatoes.

Cheesy Potatoes (The Yummy Version)

1 bag of Potatoes O'Brien (don't you love that you don't have to chop peppers or onions?)

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 cup Sour Cream

1/4 cup melted butter

1.5 - 2 cups shredded cheese (I usually use cheddar, but I just used the remnants of a couple of different bags of free cheese.)

dash of garlic salt (or more)

pepper to taste

In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, sour cream, soup, garlic salt and pepper until well combined.

Add shredded cheese and mix well. Reserve a little bit of cheese to garnish the top later on!

Place in a baking dish.

This is when I usually cover it and put it in the refrigerator and go to bed.

In the morning, I get up and throw the uncovered dish into the oven at about 375° for 1 hour. When I'm short on time, I crank it up to about 400° for 35 minutes!

Important: It needs to be bubbly all the way in the middle of the dish. PU-LEASE don't pull it out before it is bubbly in the center! This results in crunchy, uncooked potatoes. If you are concerned about too much browning around the edges, you can always cover just the edges with a little bit of foil (not that I ever do!). Now, sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese on the top to make it pretty!

We are a group of friends and friends of friends who love to cook for our families and share great ideas with each other.

Do you love to cook and want to contribute to this blog? Email the administrator at ajepeters at gmail dot com.

About the cooks

Alysun: I learned to cook while in Africa 4 years ago when I was forced to cook from scratch. I didn't have a clue away from the comforts of my culture's ready-made food selections. Now, as a mother to 2 small girls, and a wife to a hungry farmer, I love to cook good, healthy food for my family.

Andrea: I have always loved to bake, cookies especially, but cooking was never "my thing." I had my husband convinced I couldn't do much besides boil water for the first year of our marriage. But my husband likes food and he like variety. PB and J and Top Ramen didn't cut the mustard. So I broke out the cook books and figured out it's not so bad. I enjoy cooking now and look forward to trying new recipes. Cookies are still my favorite.

Annie: My food loves are pies, casseroles, birthday cakes, and holiday food! As a single woman I knew only of toaster waffles and sandwiches. When I got married I discovered that not only did I like to cook, I wasn't too bad at it either. I live in Portland Oregon with my husband and one year old son. In a former life I was a kindergarten teacher.

Jeana: I'm just recently discovering how much fun cooking can be. Dinner time used to always feel like a chore and I felt limited by my family's meager food budget. By getting organized, menu planning, and learning fool-proof recipes from other moms I am experiencing a whole new way to be creative.

Kelleigh: As the second oldest of 10 children, I was forced into cooking for an army at a young age. Fortunately, I "studied" under my father, the man who throws in "a little of this and a little of that", so I'm not really afraid to experiment and modify when needed. I am now cooking for my own little, tiny family (there are only 4 of us!) and REALLY enjoy being able to cook better food on a smaller scale. I'm always on the look-out for recipes that have a gourmet taste without the outlandish ingredients or price.

Lindsay: Growing up I loved to bake and my mom's only rule was, "as long as you do the dishes". When I got married, my sister-in-law made me a recipe book of all the Button family favorite recipes and it became one of my most used tools in learning to cook for my husband. Today, I'm an avid meal planner, and find cooking for my family of 5 fun and gratifying (most of the time!) And my husband and I have worked out a sweet deal: I cook, he does the dishes!